Yummy!

This is a delicious sounding recipe that a friend just forwarded to me (from WebMD).  I’m going to try it this weekend but thought I’d post it now.  This recipe calls for breadcrumbs, but there are instructions for making your own homemade breadcrumbs – just use G-free bread instead!  I recommend Udi’s because it tastes the most like real bread.

Enjoy!

I’m a big fan of “partially homemade” baked goods b/c I feel like I’m making it from scratch, but really I’m just adding a bunch of stuff to a pre-mixed cake mix.  Betty Crocker has a great line of gluten-free baked good products, like cake and brownie mixes.  I’ve tried most of them and they taste like the real thing!! Plus, it eliminates the need to keep a bunch of different types of flour on hand.

A family friend created this recipe for chocolate pumpkin cupcakes  for her daughter and it is now my go-to cupcake recipe.  Top with your favorite icing and you’re good to go!  No more feeling left out at dessert time!

Enjoy

CUPCAKES:

Ingredients

Directions

Mix all ingredients really well (Coconut oil or butter should be softened at room temperature).

Follow cooking instructions, times and temperature on Betty Crocker box.

When cool, top with frosting.

MOCHA FROSTING:

Ingredients

Directions

Let butter soften, beat all ingredients together.  Add powdered sugar to mixer very slowly and use milk to thicken to desired consistency.

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:

Ingredients

Directions

Let butter soften, beat all ingredients together.  Add powdered sugar to mixer very slowly and thicken with milk to desired consistency.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

After she brought me the gluten free menu, she also brought, without me having to ask for it, a freshly baked mini loaf of gluten free bread!!!  I haven’t been able to dip bread into olive oil at a restaurant in a very very long time, so this was a treat!  You never would have known this bread was gluten free – it was warm, soft and delicious.

Luckily, many of the tapas from the general menu that I was hoping to order were on the gluten free menu as well.  We had the lamb kabobs, short ribs, beef skewers with horseradish, and garlic potato salad.  If this was any other restaurant, I would have ordered the gluten free beer as well (Estrella Damm Duara) but I always have sangria at Ba Ba Reeba – it’s so good.  Everything was delicious, including the coconut flan we ordered for dessert.  They’re bite sized desserts, so it’s just enough sweetness after a big meal. Yummy.

Finding out that Cafe Ba Ba Reeba is Gfree is probably one of the best surprises I’ve had in a long time.  This is my kind of food, so I will definitely be back for more…and probably sooner rather than later!

Cafe Ba Ba Reeba Gluten Free menu

I told our waiter right away that I was gluten intolerant and he was very knowledgeable about what I could and couldn’t eat on the menu.  There were so many options!!  We got 4 sushi rolls and some appetizers.  And when I pulled out my gfree soy sauce that I had stashed in my purse, the waiter told me that they had some, so I could put mine away!  That never happens!!  This restaurant was so gfree friendly that each time they brought out a new dish, even if it was just the kitchen staff and not our actual waiter, they would come straight to me and tell me whether or not I should eat it.  Their constant attention to my dietary needs was much appreciated and really, a breath of fresh air for me.  The didn’t make me feel like I was being a burden at all!

Now lets talk about the food.  We each had some salmon nigiri, which was delicious…melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  We also had Shishito peppers, grilled scallops, wagyu and kimchi dumplings (not gfree so I didn’t eat these), butterfish tataki and rock shrimp tempura (also not gfree).  We avoided getting any tempura sushi rolls, so I chowed down on that.  The hamachi serano chili roll was out of this world.  And I was surprised at how much I liked the shishito peppers!  They were a little burnt, just how I like my grilled food, and absolutely wonderful.  But my all time favorite item of the night was the butterfish tataki with white asparagus and yuzu.  It was so good that we all decided to put it in our mouths and not chew, just taste it.  The fish was so buttery!!!

Everything we tried was outstanding and our night was so fun.  There’s a definite buzz about this place (literally a buzz – it’s a bit loud) and the energy is so great.  I loved that you could see the chefs grilling right in front of you and that they were so accommodating to me.  If I’m looking to go out and spend some money on a high-quality dinner, I’d definitely go back to Roka Akor…and would try the steak this time.

Ingredients:

Udi’s Multigrain bread (green bag)

Homemade hummus*

Cucumbers sliced thin

*Homemade Hummus

Ingredients:

2 cans (15 oz) chickpeas/garbanzo beans with 2 tbsp liquid reserved

1/3 cup tahini

juice of 2-3 lemons (to taste)

12 squirts of Sriracha

1 clove garlic minced

Optional: Jardinera drained of oil

Directions:

Combine all ingredients (except jardinera) in a food processor and blend for approximately 3 minutes or until completely smooth.  Add water if needed.  Top with jardinera.

Toast Udi’s bread and spread a generous amount of hummus.  Top with cucumber slices.  You may add a second layer of hummus and cucumbers if desired.  So delish!!!

Ingredients:

Bob’s Red Mill gluten free pizza crust mix (available at most Whole Foods, Jewel/Osco, Walmart, Dominick’s, etc.)

1 large tomato sliced thin

1 jalapeno seeded and sliced

2 cups hand shredded mozzarella cheese (dairy free option – use Rice cheese, mozzarella flavor)

2 cups arugula salad with olive oil dressing*

*Olive Oil Dressing (a la Olive Garden)

3 tbsp EVOO

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp oregano

1 clove garlic minced

Combine ingredients and shake until mixed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Mix pizza crust according to package instructions.  Split dough into two balls.  Wrap one ball in plastic and in foil and put in the freezer for another day.  Grease a pizza pan or cookie sheet.  Spread the remaining dough ball nice and thin on the pizza pan using water to help smooth the dough and keep it from sticking to your hands.  Once the dough is spread to your desired thickness, brush with olive oil and dust with herbs like oregano, rosemary, thyme and/or red pepper flakes.  Bake for 10 minutes without toppings.  Remove from oven and top with tomato slices, cheese and jalapenos.  Return to the oven for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.  In the meantime, toss arugula with olive oil dressing.  After removing pizza from the oven, place arugula salad in the middle and enjoy.

So, with the exception of the 5oz giant butterfinger, there are a bunch of Nestle products that should keep gfree Chicagoans happy at Halloween and other times when sweet cravings attack.

Enjoy.

Nestle Gluten Free List

This information will provide an understanding of these dietary requirements that will enable the newly diagnosed to read labels of food products and determine if a product is gluten-free.

Celiac disease (CD) is a life-long genetic disorder affecting children and adults. When people with CD eat foods that contain gluten, it creates an immune-mediated toxic reaction that causes damage to the small intestine. This does not allow food to be properly absorbed. Even small amounts of gluten in foods may affect those with celiac disease and cause health problems. Damage can occur to the small bowel even in the absence of symptoms.

Gluten is the generic name for certain types of proteins contained in the common cereal grains wheat, barley, rye and their derivatives. Research indicates that pure, uncontaminated oats consumed in moderation (up to 1/2 cup dry oats daily) are tolerated by most celiacs. Gluten-free oats are currently available in the United States. Consult your physician or dietitian before including oats in your diet and for regular monitoring.

Grains allowed:

Rice, Corn (Maize), Soy, Potato, Tapioca, Beans, Garfava, Sorghum, Quinoa, Millet, Buckwheat, Arrowroot, Amaranth, Teff, Montina, Flax and Nut Flours.

Grains not allowed in any form:

Wheat (Einkorn, Durum, Faro, Graham, Kamut, Semolina, Spelt), Rye, Barley and Triticale.

Foods/products that may contain gluten:

Beers, Ales, Lager, Breading & Coating Mixes, Brown Rice Syrup, Communion Wafers, Croutons, Dressings, Drugs & Over-the-Counter Medications, Energy Bars, Flour & Cereal Products, Herbal Supplements, Imitation Bacon, Imitation Seafood, Marinades, Nutritional Supplements, Pastas, Processed Luncheon Meats, Sauces & Gravies, Self-basting Poultry, Soy Sauce or Soy Sauce Solids, Soup Bases, Stuffings, Dressings, Thickeners (Roux), Vitamins & Mineral Supplements

How about alcohol?

Distilled alcoholic beverages and vinegars are gluten-free. Distilled products do not contain any harmful gluten peptides. Research indicates that the gluten-peptide is too large to carry over in the distillation process. This process leaves the resultant liquid gluten-free. Wine and hard liquor beverages are gluten-free. Beers, ales, lagers and malt vinegars are NOT gluten-free. Gluten-free beers are now available in the United States.

Always read the label

The key to understanding the gluten-free diet is to become a good label reader. Don’t eat foods with labels that list questionable ingredients unless you can verify they do not contain or are not derived from prohibited grains. Labels must be read every time foods are purchased. Manufacturers can change ingredients at any time. As of 2006, wheat used in products is identified on the label.

Be a food detective

Call First. You can verify ingredients by calling or writing a food manufacturer and specifying the ingredient and the lot number of the food in question. State your needs clearly – be patient, persistent and polite.

If In Doubt, Go Without

Don’t eat a food if you are unable to verify the ingredients or if the ingredient list is unavailable. Regardless of the amount eaten, if you have celiac disease, damage to the small intestine occurs every time gluten is consumed, whether symptoms are present or not.

Add One New Food At A Time

When adding a food item to your diet, introduce only one new food at a time. Listen to your body for adverse reactions before trying a second new food item.

Wheat Free Is Not Gluten-free

Products labeled wheat free are not necessarily gluten-free. They may still contain spelt, rye or barley-based ingredients that are not gluten-free. Spelt is a form of wheat.

Keep in mind

Starting the gluten-free diet before being tested for celiac disease makes an accurate diagnosis difficult.